Handle assembly for dual-bearing reel and dual-bearing reel

ABSTRACT

A dual-bearing reel attachable to a fishing rod, comprising, a reel unit, a handle shaft rotatably supported by the reel unit, and a handle assembly being mounted onto the handle shaft. The handle assembly includes a handle arm and a handle knob rotatably attached to a tip of the first arm portion. The handle arm includes an attachment portion detachably attached onto the handle shaft in a unitarily rotatable state, a first arm portion extending radially outwards from the attachment portion, first and second protruding portions disposed around of the attachment portion, and a coupling portion. The first and second protruding portions are protruding radially outwards. The first and second protruding portions are circumferentially aligned at predetermined intervals. The coupling portion couple the protruding portions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2011-252730 filed on Nov. 18, 2011. The entirety disclosure of JapanesePatent Application No. 2011-252730 is hereby incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a handle assembly for a dual-bearingreel, which can be mounted to a handle shaft rotatably supported by areel unit for a dual-bearing reel attachable to a fishing rod. Thepresent invention also relates to a dual-bearing reel including thehandle assembly

2. Background Art

Dual-bearing reels are normally embedded with a handle assembly forrotating a spool in a fishing-line winding direction. The handleassembly is mounted to a handle shaft rotatably supported by a reelunit. The handle assembly is normally used for continuously rotating thespool in the fishing-line winding direction to wind a fishing line ontothe spool. However, an operation of slightly winding the fishing line isrequired in fishing. For example, the spool can be slightly rotated inthe fishing-line winding direction, for instance, when slack isdecreased in the fishing line by winding the fishing line, when a clutchmechanism is returned to a clutch-on state from a clutch-off state aftercasting, when a lure is caused to perform an action after casting andetc.

In slightly rotating the spool in the fishing-line winding direction,the fishing-line winding action can not be instantly performed when thefishing line is wound using a handle assembly. Specifically, it is evendifficult to instantly operate a handle assembly of a double handle typeunless handle knobs happen to be positioned for allowing an angler toeasily pinch them. This is because the handle knobs are disposed awayfrom each other at an angle of 180 degrees. In view of the above, astructure has been widely known that a drag regulation member called “astar drag” is provided with auxiliary operating portions for rotating ahandle shaft by a hand holding a fishing rod (see e.g., specification ofJapan Patent No. 3967661). In the well-known drag regulation member, theauxiliary operating portions are disposed on the tips of a plurality ofdrag operating portions radially protruded. The auxiliary operatingportions are disposed closer to the reel unit.

SUMMARY

In the well-known structure, the handle shaft is rotated in thefishing-line winding direction using the drag regulation member.Therefore, only the drag regulation member can be rotated withoutrotation of the handle shaft, depending on extent of drag forceregulation by the drag regulation member (e.g., when drag force isweakened). Therefore, the handle shaft cannot be reliably rotated in thefishing-line winding direction by a hand opposite to the hand holdingthe handle assembly.

It is an advantage of the present invention to instantly and reliablyrotate a handle shaft in the fishing-line winding direction by a handopposite to the hand operating a handle assembly.

A dual-bearing reel attachable to a fishing rod, comprising, a reelunit, a handle shaft rotatably supported by the reel unit, and a handleassembly being mounted onto the handle shaft. The handle assemblyincludes a handle arm and a handle knob rotatably attached to a tip ofthe first arm portion. The handle arm includes an attachment portiondetachably attached onto the handle shaft in a unitarily rotatablestate, a first arm portion extending radially outwards from theattachment portion, first and second protruding portions disposed aroundof the attachment portion, and a coupling portion. The first and secondprotruding portions are protruding radially outwards. The first andsecond protruding portions are circumferentially aligned atpredetermined intervals. The coupling portion couple the protrudingportions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of thisoriginal disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dual-bearing reel employing anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a handle arm;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a handle attachment side of the dual-bearingreel;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 sectioned along a cuttingline IV-IV;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 sectioned along a cuttingline V-V;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the dual-bearing reel viewed from a sideopposite to the handle attachment side;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a reel unit side of a dragmechanism;

FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 for illustrating a secondexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 6 for illustrating the secondexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 for illustrating a thirdexemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 6 for illustrating the thirdexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

First Exemplary Embodiment

Structure of Dual-bearing Reel

In FIG. 1, a dual-bearing reel according to a first exemplary embodimentof the present invention is a low profile reel. The dual-bearing reelincludes a reel unit 1, a handle assembly 2 for rotating a spool and aspool 12 for winding a fishing line. The handle assembly 2 is disposedlaterally to (e.g., on the left side of) the reel unit 1. The spool 12is rotatably and detachably attached to the inside of the reel unit 1.Further, a drag regulation member 3 for regulating drag is disposed onthe opposite side of the reel unit 1 through the handle assembly 2.

Structure of Handle Assembly

The handle assembly 2 is of a double-handle type including a handle arm2 a and two handle knobs 2 b. The handle arm 2 a is a plate-shapedmember made of, for instance, metal. The handle knobs 2 b are rotatablyattached to the both ends of the handle arm 2 a. As illustrated in FIGS.1, 2 and 3, the handle arm 2 a has an attachment portion 14 a, two armportions 14 b, a plurality of (e.g., four) protruding portions 14 c, anda plurality of (e.g., six) coupling portions 14 d. As illustrated inFIG. 4, the handle arm 2 a is slightly curved in the longitudinaldirection while the both ends thereof are positioned closer to the reelunit 1 than the attachment portion 14 a is.

The attachment portion 14 a can be attached to a handle shaft 30 to bedescribed while being positioned closer to the reel unit 1 than the dragregulation member 3 is. The attachment portion 14 a is positioned in thelongitudinal center of the handle arm 2 a. The attachment portion 14 ahas a through hole 14 e, a pair of first engaging recesses 14 f, and apair of screw insertion holes 14 g. The through hole 14 e is a roundhole formed in the longitudinal center of the handle arm 2 a forallowing the handle shaft 30 to be described to pass threthrough. Thefirst engaging recesses 14 f are recessed radially outwards from theinner peripheral surface of the through hole 14 e in a directionperpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle arm 2 a. Thescrew insertion holes 14 g are formed in the handle arm 2 a whileinterposing the through hole 14 e therebetween in the longitudinaldirection. Further, the handle arm 2 a has a pair of head portionaccommodating portions 14 h in the corresponding positions to the screwinsertion holes 14 g. Specifically, each head portion accommodatingportion 14 h is recessed in a cone shape on the front surface of thehandle arm 2 a for accommodating a head portion 48 a (see FIG. 7) ofeach attachment bolt 48 to be described.

The two arm portions 14 b extend respectively from the attachmentportion 14 a while being tapered radially outwards. Each of the armportions 14 b has an attachment hole 14 i on the tip thereof forattaching each handle knob 2 b thereto. Each of the arm portions 14 bhas a first opening 14 j for reducing the weight of the handle arm 2 a.

The plural protruding portions 14 c are disposed in the surrounding ofthe attachment portion 14 a. The protruding portions 14 c extendradially outwards while being circumferentially aligned at predeterminedintervals. To reduce the weight of the handle arm 2 a, two secondopenings 14 k are formed between the attachment portion 14 a and both ofthe protruding portions 14 c and the coupling portions 14 d.Accordingly, two spaces are formed between the attachment portion 14 aand both of the protruding portions 14 c and the coupling portions 14 d.As illustrated in FIG. 3, the protruding portions 14 c can protruderadially outwards from the fishing-rod attachment side of the reel unit1.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the plural coupling portions 14 dcouple the plural protruding portions 14 c. In the first exemplaryembodiment, the coupling portions 14 d couple the arm portions 14 b andthe protruding portions 14 c. The protruding portions 14 c are coupledby the coupling portions 14 d for forming a saw-tooth shape. In otherwords, the protruding portions 14 c of one pair and the couplingportions 14 d are formed in a saw-tooth shape. It should be noted thatthe arm portions 14 b and portions 14 m of the protruding portions 14 c(i.e., steep slopes in the saw teeth) are used in rotating the handleshaft 30 in the fishing-line winding direction with a hand opposite tothe hand operating the handle assembly 2. Therefore, long operatinglength can be obtained in the radial direction when the handle shaft 30is rotated in the fishing-line winding direction with any one of the sixportions including the four protruding portions 14 c and the two armportions 14 b. A rotational operation can be thereby easily performed inthe fishing-line winding direction. Further, no step is formed in theradial direction between each protruding portion 14 c and each ofportions 14 n (i.e., gentle slopes in the saw teeth) and between eachcoupling portion 14 d and each of the portions 14 n. Therefore, thestructure does not prevent an action of switching the position of afinger from one protruding portion 14 c to another protruding portion 14c in operating the handle assembly 2.

Structure of Reel Unit

As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the reel unit 1 includes a frame5, a first cover 6 a, a second cover 6 b, a shaft support part 7, and afront cover 6 c. The first and second covers 6 a and 6 b are attached tothe both lateral sides of the frame 5 for laterally covering the frame5. The shaft support part 7 is detachably attached to a lateral part ofthe frame 5. The front cover 6 c covers the front side of the frame 5.The first cover 6 a is disposed on the opposite side of the handleassembly 2, whereas the second cover 6 b is disposed on the attachmentside of the handle assembly 2.

The frame 5 is a member made of light metal (e.g., aluminum alloy,magnesium alloy, etc.) and includes a first side plate 5 a, a secondside plate 5 b, and a plurality of coupling portions 5 c. The first andsecond side plates 5 a and 5 b are opposed at a predetermined interval.The coupling portions 5 c couple the first and second side plates 5 aand 5 b. The shaft support part 7 is detachably attached to the firstside plate 5 a disposed on the opposite side of the handle attachmentside. The first side plate 5 a has a circular opening 5 d for allowingthe spool 12 to pass therethrough. The shaft support part 7 isdetachably attached to the opening 5 d by, for instance, a bayonetmechanism 23 in order to take out the spool 12 from the opening 5 dside. Further, a fishing rod attachment portion 4 is integrally formedwith two bottom-side coupling portions 5 c. The fishing rod attachmentportion 4 is a member elongated back and forth for attaching the reel toa fishing rod.

The first cover 6 a is a member made of light metal (e.g., aluminumalloy, magnesium alloy, etc.) and covers the outside of the first sideplate 5 a. The first cover 6 a is bulged axially outwards in a convexshape and is thus formed in a three-dimensionally curved surface. Thefirst cover 6 a has a circular recess 6 d and an opening 6 e in thecenter part thereof Further, the first cover 6 a has a stepped portion 6f linearly extending on the outer surface thereof (see FIGS. 5 and 6).The opening 6 e has a circular shape, for instance, and is formed in thecenter part of the recess 6 d. The shaft support part 7 is rotatablyattached to the first cover 6 a. The first cover 6 a is detachablyattached to the frame 5 together with the shaft support part 7. Apositioning mechanism 60 (see FIG. 4) is disposed on the innerperipheral part of the opening 6 e of the first cover 6 a while beingdisposed in the surrounding of the shaft support part 7. The positioningmechanism 60 is configured to prevent rotation of the shaft support part7 of a non-operated state and appropriately position the shaft supportpart 7 of an operated state. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the steppedportion 6 f is formed for slanting obliquely upwards from the frontlower side of the reel unit 1. The stepped portion 6 f is formed forfurther outwardly protruding the upper part of the first cover 6 a thanthe lower part thereof. The stepped portion 6 f is formed in associationwith the position of a knob portion 34 a to be described of the shaftsupport part 7.

The second cover 6 b is a member made of light metal (e.g., aluminumalloy, magnesium alloy, etc.) and is fixed to the second side plate 5 bof the frame 5 by screws. The second cover 6 b includes a boss portion 8and a lid member 9. The boss portion 8 is swaged to a position where aspool shaft 16 is disposed. The lid member 9 is screwed onto the bossportion 8 for closing an opening of the boss portion 8. The boss portion8 is fixed to the second cover 6 b by, for instance, swaging. The lidmember 9 is screwed and fixed to the boss portion 8.

The shaft support part 7 is rotatably supported by the first cover 6 awhile interposing and holding the first cover 6 a between componentsthereof. Therefore, the shaft support part 7 is prevented from beingdetached from the first cover 6 a. Further, the shaft support part 7 isdetachably attached to the first side plate 5 a by the bayonet mechanism23 as illustrated in FIG. 4. The bayonet mechanism 23 includes aplurality of (e.g., three) plate-shaped bayonet protrusions 23 a and aplurality of (e.g., three) bayonet grooved portions 23 b. The bayonetprotrusions 23 a protrude radially outwards from the outer periphery ofthe shaft support part 7 while being circumferentially aligned atpredetermined intervals on the outer periphery of the shaft support part7. The bayonet grooved portions 23 b are formed on a surface radiallyoutwards of the opening 5 d of the first side plate 5 a for engagingwith the bayonet protrusions 23 a. The shall support part 7 is rotatedand attached to the first side plate 5 a by the bayonet mechanism 23.Accordingly, the first cover 6 a is also attached to the first sideplate 5 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the shaft support part 7 includes a bearingmounting portion 33 and an attachment/detachment operating portion 34.The bearing mounting portion 33 is a portion where a first bearing 24 ais mounted. The attachment/detachment operating portion 34, togetherwith the bearing mounting portion 33, interposes and holds the firstcover 6 a therebetween in a relatively rotatable state. The bearingmounting portion 33 is a saucer-shaped member. An outer periphery 33 aof the bearing mounting portion 33 is fitted into the opening 5 d.Further, the outer periphery 33 a has the aforementioned plural bayonetprotrusions 23 a of the bayonet mechanism 23. The bayonet protrusions 23a protrude radially outwards from the outer periphery 33 a while beingcircumferentially aligned about the axis of the spool 12 atpredetermined intervals. The bearing mounting portion 33 has a tubularbearing accommodation portion 33 b in the center part thereof Thebearing accommodation portion 33 b protrudes towards the spool 12 in atubular shape for accommodating the first bearing 24 a. The bearingaccommodation portion 33 b has a stepped tubular mounting space 33 c formounting the first bearing 24 a to the inner peripheral surface thereof.A disc-shaped first plate 41 a forming a part of a casting controlmechanism 22, which will be described hereinafter, is attached to abottom portion 33 d of the mounting space 33 c. The bottom portion 33 dhas a female threaded portion 33 e that a brake knob 42 to be describedof the casting control mechanism 22 is screwed. Theattachment/detachment operating portion 34 is unitarily rotatable withthe bearing mounting portion 33 with respect to the first cover 6 awhile being appropriately positioned by the bearing mounting portion 33.

The attachment/detachment operating portion 34 is a stepped cylindricalmember fixed to the bearing mounting portion 33 by a screw member (notillustrated in the figures). The attachment/detachment operating portion34 serves to perform an attachment/detachment operation of the firstcover 6 a with respect to the frame 5. The outer surface of theattachment/detachment operating portion 34 is slightly recessed thanthat of the first cover 6 a. As illustrated in FIG. 6, theattachment/detachment operating portion 34 has the knob portion 34 a forperforming an attachment/detachment operation. The knob portion 34 a isdisposed on the diameter of the attachment/detachment operating portion34 a while being disposed astride the brake knob 42. The knob portion 34a is disposed axially outwards the brake knob 42. The knob portion 34 ais slightly curved in a convex shape while being formed along thethree-dimensionally curved surface of the first cover 6 a. The knobportion 34 a can be operated and rotated to an attachment positiondepicted with a solid line in FIG. 6 and a detachment position depictedwith a dashed two-dotted line in FIG. 6. In the attachment position, thefirst cover 6 a is attached to the frame 5. In the detachment position,the first cover 6 a is detached from the frame 5. When rotated to theattachment position, the knob portion 34 a is configured to be disposedalong the stepped portion 6 f of the first cover 6 a. Further, theattachment/detachment operating portion 34 has an opening 34 b forexposing the brake knob 42 to the outside.

The knob portion 34 a is formed astride the brake knob 42. The brakeknob 42 can be thereby prevented from coming off.

Structure of Other Elements in Dual-Bearing Reel

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the frame 5 accommodates the spool 12 forwinding a fishing line, a level winding mechanism 15 and a clutchoperating member 17. The spool 12 can be disposed along a directionperpendicularly to a fishing rod. The level winding mechanism 15 isconfigured to uniformly wind the fishing line onto the spool 12. Theclutch operating member 17 functions as a thumb pad in thumbing thefishing line. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a gear mechanism 18, aclutch mechanism 13, a clutch control mechanism 19, a drag mechanism 21,and the casting control mechanism 22 are disposed between the frame 5and the second cover 6 b. The gear mechanism 18 is configured totransfer rotational force from the handle assembly 2 to the spool 12 andthe level winding mechanism 15. The clutch control mechanism 19 isconfigured to execute an on/off control of the clutch mechanism 13. Thedrag mechanism 21 is configured to brake rotation of the spool 12 in afishing-line releasing direction. The casting control mechanism 22 isconfigured to regulate resistive force to be applied during rotation ofthe spool 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the spool 12 has a pair of saucer-shapedflanges 12 a on the both lateral parts thereof. Further, the spool 12has a tubular bobbin trunk 12 b between the flanges 12 a. Yet further,the spool 12 has a tubular boss 12 c integrally formed with asubstantially axial center part of the inner periphery of the bobbintrunk 12 b. The spool 12 is non-rotatably fixed onto the spool shaft 16penetrating the boss 12 c by, for instance, serration coupling. Themethod of fixing the spool 12 onto the spool shaft 16 is not limited tothe serration coupling and a variety of coupling methods (e.g., keycoupling, spline coupling, etc.) can be herein employed instead.

The spool shaft 16 extends to the second cover 6 b while penetratingthrough the second side plate 5 b. The spool shaft 16 is rotatablysupported by the reel unit 1 through the first bearing 24 a and a secondbearing 24 b. The first bearing 24 a is mounted to the shaft supportpart 7, while the second bearing 24 b is mounted to the boss portion 8fixed to the second side plate 5 b. A first end 16 a and a second end 16b of the spool shaft 16 protrude respectively and formed in either achevron shape or a circular-arc shape. The first and second ends 16 aand 16 b of the spool shaft 16 can make contact with the casting controlmechanism 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, an engaging pin 13 a forming a part of theclutch mechanism 13 is fixed to a part of the spool shaft 16 thatpenetrates through the second side plate 5 b. The engaging pin 13 apenetrates through the spool shaft 16 along its diameter, while the bothends thereof protrude radially from the spool shaft 16. The tip (i.e.,the right end in FIG. 5) of a pinion gear 32 to be described can beengaged with the both protruding ends of the engaging pin 13 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the level winding mechanism 15 includes asecond gear 25, a traverse cam shaft 26, and a fishing line guide 27.The second gear 25 is meshed with a first gear 28 of the gear mechanism18 to be described. The traverse cam shaft 26 is a shaft member havinghelical grooves 26 a intersecting with each other on the outerperipheral surface thereof. The fishing line guide 27 is engaged withthe helical grooves 26 a. The fishing line guide 27 is configured toreciprocate in parallel to and in front of the spool 12 in conjunctionwith rotation of the traverse cam shaft 26.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the gear mechanism 18 includes the handleshaft 30, a driving gear 31, the pinion gear 32 and the first gear 28.The driving gear 31 is rotatably mounted onto the handle shaft 30. Thepinion gear 32 is a tubular gear to be meshed with the driving gear 31.The first gear 28 is meshed with the second gear 25 while being mountedonto the handle shaft 30. The handle shaft 30 is prevented from rotatingin the fishing-line releasing direction by a roller-type one-way clutch40. In other words, the handle shaft 30 is allowed to rotate only in thefishing-line winding direction. The one-way clutch 40 is mounted to thesecond cover 6 b.

The base end of the handle shaft 30 is rotatably supported by the secondside plate 5 b through a bearing 20. A ratchet wheel 36 is disposed onthe rear side (i.e., the right side in FIG. 5) of the driving gear 31while being mounted onto the handle shaft 30 in a unitarily rotatablestate. The first gear 28 is disposed on the rear side of the ratchetwheel 36. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the handle shaft 30 has alarge-diameter contact portion 30 a between its portion for mounting theratchet wheel 36 and its portion for mounting the first gear 28. Thehandle shaft 30 has a male threaded portion 30 b on the outer peripheralsurface of the tip thereof. The handle shaft 30 has a female threadedportion 30 c on the tip surface thereof. The handle shaft 30 has arotation coupling portion 30 d on the outer peripheral surface thereof.The rotation coupling portion 30 d is formed by a pair of parallelopposed surfaces for coupling an inner race 40 a of the one-way clutch40 and a pressure plate 38 to be described in a unitarily rotatablestate. Further, the intermediate part of the handle shaft 30 is recessedfor weight reduction.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, rotation of the handle shaft 30 is transferredto the driving gear 31 through the inner ring 40 of the one-way clutch40 and the drag mechanism 21.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the pinion gear 32 extend axially outwardsfrom the second side plate 5 b. The pinion gear 32 is a tubular memberthat the spool shaft 16 penetrates through the center thereof. Thepinion gear 32 is mounted onto the spool shaft 16 while being axiallymovable. The pinion gear 32 has the gear portion 32 a, an engagingportion 32 b and a narrowed portion 32 c. The gear portion 32 a isformed on the base end of the pinion gear 32. The engaging portion 32 bis formed on the tip end of the pinion gear 32 and can be engaged withthe engaging pin 13 a. The narrowed portion 32 c is disposed between thegear portion 32 a and the engaging portion 32 b. The driving gear 31 ismeshed with the gear portion 32 a. The engaging pin 13 a is engaged withthe engaging portion 32 b. A clutch yoke 35 of the clutch controlmechanism 19 is engaged with the narrowed portion 32 c. The pinion gear32 is configured to be moved between a clutch-on position and aclutch-off position (located leftwards of the clutch-on position in FIG.5) in conjunction with either an operation of the clutch operatingmember 17 or rotation of the handle assembly 2 in the fishing-linewinding direction. The pinion gear 32 is supported by the second sideplate 5 b through a bearing 29 while being rotatable and axiallymovable.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the first gear 28 is coupled to the handleshaft 30 through a torque limiter 39. As illustrated in FIG. 4, thefirst gear 28 is meshed with the second gear 25 mounted onto thetraverse cam shaft 26 of the level winding mechanism 15. The torquelimiter 39 is provided for preventing rotation of the handle shaft 30from being transmitted to the first gear 28 when torque of apredetermined level or greater acts. The torque limiter 39 includes atleast a pin member (not illustrated in the figures), an urging member,and at least a recess. The pin member is disposed in the handle shaft 30while being protrudable/retractable therefrom/thereto. The urging memberurges the pin member radially outwards. The recess is formed on theinner peripheral surface of the first gear 28 for engaging with the pinmember.

The clutch mechanism 13 includes the engaging pin 13 a and the engagingportion 32 b of the pinion gear 32. The clutch mechanism 13 can be setto be in either of the clutch-on state and the clutch-off state inresponse to an operation of the clutch operating member 17. In theclutch-on state, rotation of the handle assembly 2 is transmitted to thespool 12. In the clutch-off state, the spool 12 can be freely rotated.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the clutch operating member 17 isdisposed rearwards of the spool 12 while being disposed in the rear partof the space interposed between the first side plate 5 a and the secondside plate 5 b. The frame 5 has an elongated hole (not illustrated inthe figures) in each of the first and second side plates 5 a and 5 b.The clutch operating member 17 is rotatably supported by the elongatedholes. Therefore, the clutch operating member 17 can be slid up and downalong the elongated holes.

The clutch control mechanism 19 includes the clutch yoke 35. The clutchyoke 35 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the spool shaft 16.The clutch yoke 35 is supported by two pins (not illustrated in thefigures) while being movable in parallel to the axis of the spool shaft16. It should be noted that the spool shaft 16 can be rotated relativelyto the clutch yoke 35. In other words, the clutch yoke 35 is configurednot to be rotated even when the spool shaft 16 is rotated. Further, theclutch yoke 35 is movable right and left in FIG. 5 while the middle partthereof is engaged with the narrowed portion 32 c of the pinion gear 32.The clutch yoke 35 is constantly urged in a clutch-on direction (i.e.,inwards, more specifically, rightwards in FIG. 5) by a spring (notillustrated in the figures).

In the structure as described above, the pinion gear 32 is normallydisposed in the inner clutch-on position while being engaged with theengaging pin 13 a of the spool shaft 16. Thus, the clutch-on state isproduced. When the pinion gear 32 is moved outwards by the clutch yoke35, on the other hand, engagement between the pinion gear 32 and theengaging pin 13 a is released. Thus, the clutch-off state is produced.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 7, the drag mechanism 21 includes the dragregulation member 3, the pressure plate 38, and the one-way clutch 40.The drag regulation member 3 is used for an operation of regulating dragforce. The pressure plate 38 is mounted onto the handle shaft 30 in aunitarily rotatable state. The one-way clutch 40 is mounted to thesecond cover 6 b while being disposed in the surrounding of the handleshaft 30. The drag regulation member 3 includes a nut 3 a, an operatingmember 3 b for coupling the nut 3 a in a unitarily rotatable and axiallymovable state, and an urging member 3 c.

The nut 3 a is screwed onto the male threaded portion 30 b formed on thetip of the handle shaft 30. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the operatingmember 3 b includes three operating protrusions 3 d circumferentiallyaligned at predetermined intervals. The operating member 3 b is disposedfor rotating the nut 3 a. The operating member 3 b is prevented frombeing detached from the handle shaft 30 by a fixation bolt 44. Thehandle arm 2 a is also prevented from being detached from the handleshaft 30 by the fixation bolt 44 through the operating member 3 b. Thefixation bolt 44 is screwed into the female threaded portion 30 c formedin the tip surface of the handle shaft 30. A spring washer 47 isattached between the fixation bolt 44 and the operating member 3 b inorder to prevent rotation of the fixation bolt 44.

The urging member 3 c is disposed between the handle arm 2 a and the nut3 a. Urging force of the urging member 3 c is changed by the axialmovement of the nut 3 a. The urging member 3 c includes two disc springs50, for instance. The urging member 3 c is configured to press thepressure plate 38 through the handle arm 2 a and the inner race 40 a.Drag force is regulated by the urging force of the urging member 3 c.The pressure plate 38 is coupled to the handle shaft 30 while beingunitarily rotatable therewith. Further, the pressure plate 38 is coupledto the inner race 40 a of the one-way clutch 40 while being unitarilyrotatable therewith.

The inner race 40 a of the one-way clutch 40 is coupled to the firstengaging recesses 14 f of the handle arm 2 a while being unitarilyrotatable therewith. The inner race 40 a is retained by a restrictingmember 56 fixed to the handle arm 2 a by the two attachment bolts 48.The inner race 40 a has first engaging protrusions 40 b on one endthereof The first engaging protrusions 40 b are engaged with the firstengaging recesses 14 f. Accordingly, rotation of the handle arm 2 a istransmitted to the inner race 40 a. Further, the inner race 40 a hassecond engaging protrusions 40 c on the other end thereof. The secondengaging protrusions 40 c are engaged with the pressure plate 38.Therefore, rotation of the handle assembly 2 is transmitted to thehandle shaft 30 through the inner race 40 a and the pressure plate 38.

Incidentally, the drag mechanism 21 further includes a drag operationsound producing mechanism 49 configured to produce sound in response toan operation of the drag regulation member 3. The drag operation soundproducing mechanism 49 includes a sound producing member 49 a and ahitting member 49 b. The sound producing member 49 a is mounted to thehandle shaft 30 while being unitarily rotatable therewith. The hittingmember 49 b is configured to be urged towards the sound producing member49 a. The hitting member 49 b is accommodated in the inside of theoperating member 3 b while being protrudable to or retractable from thesound producing member 49 a.

In the drag mechanism 21 structured as described above, slip is causedbetween the pressure plate 38 and the driving gear 31 when the pressureplate 38 is pressed towards the driving gear 31 by an operation ofrotating the drag regulation member 3. The drag mechanism 21 is thusconfigured to brake the spool 12. To actuate the drag mechanism 21, theone-way clutch 40 is configured to prevent the handle shaft 30 fromrotating in the fishing-line releasing direction.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the casting control mechanism 22includes the first plate 41 a, a second plate 41 b, and the brake knob42. The first and second plates 41 a and 41 b are disposed for holdingand interposing therebetween the both ends of the spool shaft 16. Thebrake knob 42 serves to regulate force of the first and second plates 41a and 41 b for holding and interposing therebetween the spool shaft 16.

As described above, the first plate 41 a is disposed on the left side(see FIG. 4) while being mounted to the bottom portion 33 d of themounting space 33 c of the bearing mounting portion 33 within thebearing mounting portion 33. The first plate 41 a can make contact withthe first end 16 a of the spool shaft 16. The second plate 41 b ismounted to the inside of the lid member 9 of the second cover 6 b.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the brake knob 42 has an operating portion 42a and a male threaded portion 42 b. The operating portion 42 a is acircular portion. The male threaded portion 42 b has a diameter smallerthan that of the operating portion 42 a. In the present exemplaryembodiment, the operating portion 42 a has a circular truncated coneshape. The outer peripheral side of the operating portion 42 a isdisposed away from the attachment/detachment operating portion 34 at aclearance produced for operating the operating portion 42 a. The brakeknob 42 is disposed inside the knob portion 34 a of theattachment/detachment operating portion 34. The male threaded portion 42b is screwed into the female threaded portion 33 e of the bearingmounting portion 33. The male threaded portion 42 b can make contactwith the first plate 41 a.

The brake knob 42 is sealed by a seal member 43 shaped in the form of anO-ring, for instance. Further, the brake knob 42 is braked by the sealmember 43 in its rotational operation. The seal member 43 is disposedbetween the brake knob 42 and the bearing mounting portion 33. Thestructure prevents the rotary position of the brake knob 42 from beingeasily changed in operating the brake knob 42.

Method of Operating Dual-Bearing Reel

The clutch yoke 35 is normally pressed inwards (rightwards in FIG. 5).The pinion gear 32 is thereby moved to an engaged position. Theclutch-on state is herein produced while the pinion gear 32 and theengaging pin 13 a of the spool shaft 16 are meshed. Rotational forcefrom the handle assembly 2 is herein transmitted to the spool 12 throughthe handle shaft 30, the driving gear 31, the pinion gear 32 and thespool shaft 16. The spool 12 is accordingly rotated in the fishing-linewinding direction.

In fishing, braking force is regulated by the casting control mechanism22 for inhibiting occurrence of backlash. In regulating braking forcewith the casting control mechanism 22, the brake knob 42 is rotated inthe clockwise direction, for instance. The brake knob 42 therebyproceeds rightwards in FIG. 5 and the interval between the first plate41 a and the second plate 41 b is reduced. Accordingly, braking forceonto the spool shaft 16 is increased. By contrast, braking force isreduced by rotating the brake knob 42 in the counterclockwise direction.

When regulation of braking force is finished, the clutch operatingmember 17 is pressed downwards. The clutch operating member 17 is hereinmoved to a downward disengaged position. Further, the clutch yoke 35 ismoved outwards in conjunction with movement of the clutch operatingmember 17. The pinion gear 32, which is engaged with the clutch yoke 35,is also moved in the same direction as the clutch yoke 35. As a result,engagement between the pinion gear 32 and the engaging pin 13 a of thespool shaft 16 is released and the clutch-off state is thereby produced.In the clutch-off state, rotation from the handle shaft 30 is nottransmitted to the spool 12 and the spool shaft 16. Therefore, the spool12 can be freely rotated. When the clutch-off state is thus produced, anangler drops the fishing line by tilting the reel for arranging thespool shaft 16 along a vertical plane while thumbing the fishing linewound about the spool 12 by the thumb of the hand holding and palmingthe first cover 6 a. The spool 12 is accordingly rotated in thefishing-line releasing direction by the weight of a terminal tackle andthe fishing line is reeled out.

When the terminal tackle herein reaches the sea floor and the fishingline slacks, an operation for rotating the handle arm 2 a in thefishing-line winding direction is executed for eliminating slack of thefishing line. In executing the operation, an angler extends his/herfinger (e.g., the middle finger) of the hand that holds the fishing rodwhile grabbing and palming the first cover 6 a. Then, either any one ofthe protruding portions 14 c or any one of the arm portions 14 b, whichare disposed on the handle arm 2 a, are pressed with the extended middlefinger in the fishing-line winding direction. Accordingly, the handlearm 2 a is rotated in the fishing-line winding direction and the fishingline can be wound about the spool 12. As a result, slack of the fishingline can be eliminated. Therefore, the fishing line can be wound aboutthe spool 12 without operating the handle knobs 2 b of the handle arm 2a.

Further, when the spool 12 is taken out of the reel unit 1, the firstcover 6 a is detached from the first side plate 5 a by operating theattachment/detachment operating portion 34. When theattachment/detachment operating portion 34 is herein rotated from theattachment position depicted with a solid line in FIG. 6 to thedetachment position depicted with a dashed two-dotted line in FIG. 6while the knob portion 34 a is pinched, engagement with the frame 5using the bayonet mechanism 23 is released and the first cover 6 a canbe thereby removed. Accordingly, the spool 12 can be taken out throughthe opening 5 d.

When being attached, the spool 12 is inserted into the inside of theframe 5 through the opening 5 d. Then, the first cover 6 a is attachedto the first side plate 5 a, and the attachment/detachment operatingportion 34 is rotated from the detachment position to the attachmentposition while the knob portion 34 a is pinched. It is herein possibleto recognize that the attachment/detachment operating portion 34 isdisposed in the attachment position by touching the stepped portion 6 fformed on the first cover 6 a

Second Exemplary Embodiment

In the following explanation of a second exemplary embodiment andthereafter, structures and actions of elements similar to those of thefirst exemplary embodiment will be omitted.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, a handle arm 102 a of a handle assembly 102 includesan attachment portion 114 a, two arm portions 114 b, protruding portions114 c and coupling portions 114 d. The attachment portion 114 a and thearm portions 114 b are formed in the same shapes as correspondingelements in the first exemplary embodiment, whereas the protrudingportions 114 c and the coupling portions 114 d are formed in differentshapes from corresponding elements in the first exemplary embodiment.The handle arm 102 a is symmetrically formed through a line C connectingthe rotary centers of the handle knobs 2 b. The attachment portion 114 ais disposed between a drag regulation member 103 and a reel unit 101.Each protruding portion 114 c is disposed on one of the corners of apolygon. The protruding portions 114 c can protrude radially outwardsfrom the fishing-rod attachment side of the reel unit 101. In the secondexemplary embodiment, the protruding portions 114 c are disposed on fourcorners of a hexagon and protrude in a trapezoidal shape. The couplingportions 114 d are disposed along the sides of the polygon forconnecting the corners.

Further, an operating member 103 b of the drag regulation member 103 hasfive operating protrusions 103 d. Structures of the other elements aresimilarly to those of corresponding elements in the first exemplaryembodiment, and explanation thereof will be hereinafter omitted.

The second exemplary embodiment configured as described above can alsoachieve advantageous effects similar to those achieved by the firstexemplary embodiment

Third Exemplary Embodiment

In the first and second exemplary embodiments, the attachment portion ofthe handle arm is disposed between the drag regulation member and thereel unit. hi a third exemplary embodiment, a drag regulation member 203is disposed between an attachment portion 214 a of a handle arm 202 aand a reel unit 201 as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11. Therefore, theattachment portion 214 a can be attached to a handle shaft 230 whilebeing disposed further away from the reel unit 201 than the dragregulation member 203 is. Further, two arm portions 214 b, protrudingportions 214 c, and coupling portions 214 d can be disposed closer tothe reel unit 201 than the drag regulation member 203 is. Therefore,both end portions 214 n of the attachment portion 214 a, which areconnected to the two arm portions 214 b, are bent towards the reel unit201 while being disposed radially outwards of the drag regulation member203. The bent angle preferably falls in a range of 60 to 100 degrees. Inthe third exemplary embodiment, the bent angle is set to be 90 degrees.The attachment portion 214 a is engaged with the handle shaft 230 whilebeing unitarily rotatable therewith. The attachment portion 214 a isfixed to the handle shaft 230 by a fixation nut 244 screwed onto theouter peripheral surface of the tip of the handle shaft 230 while beingunitarily rotatable therewith. The fixation nut 244 is a cap nut and isprevented from rotating by a retainer 245.

For example, the number of the protruding portions 214 c is four. Theprotruding portions 214 c are formed in a circular-arc shape while beingconcentric to the handle shaft 230. The protruding portions 214 c canprotrude radially outwards from the fishing-rod attachment side of thereel unit 201. For example, the number of the coupling portions 214 d isfour. Each coupling portion 214 d is formed in a circular-arc shapewhile the center part thereof is curved for getting closer to theattachment portion 214 a. Spaces are produced between the attachmentportion 214 a and both of the protruding portions 214 c and the couplingportions 214 d. In the third exemplary embodiment, the protrudingportions 214 c and the coupling portions 214 d are therefore shaped inthe form of a line with the equal width.

The third exemplary embodiment configured as described above can alsoachieve advantageous effects similar to those achieved by the first andsecond exemplary embodiments.

Features

The aforementioned exemplary embodiments can be expressed as follows. Itshould be noted in the following explanation that in mentioning anelement commonly used in plural exemplary embodiments, the correspondingreference numeral of the first exemplary embodiment is only describedwithout describing the corresponding reference numerals of the otherexemplary embodiments.

(A) The handle assembly 2 of a dual-bearing reel can be mounted to thehandle shaft 30 rotatably supported by the reel unit 1 of thedual-bearing reel attachable to a fishing rod. The handle assembly 2includes the handle arm 2 a and the handle knobs 2 b. The handle arm 2 ahas the attachment portion 14 a, at least one arm portion 14 b, theplural protruding portions 14 c, and the plural coupling portions 14 d.The attachment portion 14 a can be attached to the handle shaft 30. Atleast one arm portion 14 b extend radially outwards from the attachmentportion 14 a. The plural protruding portions 14 c are disposed in thesurrounding of the attachment portion 14 a. The plural protrudingportions 14 c protrude radially outwards while being circumferentiallyaligned at predetermined intervals. The plural coupling portions 14 dcouple the plural protruding portions 14 c. The handle knobs 2 b arerotatably attached to the tips of the arm portions 14 b.

In the handle assembly 2, the plural protruding portions 14 c, which arecoupled by the coupling portions 14 d, are disposed in the surroundingof the attachment portion 14 a. Simultaneously, the plural protrudingportions 14 c protrude radially outwards while being circumferentiallyaligned at predetermined intervals. With the structure, either theplural protruding portions 14 c or at least one arm portion 14 b can beoperated with a hand opposite to the hand operating the handle assembly2. In other words, the number of operable portions is increased.Therefore, it is possible to reliably rotate the handle shaft 30instantly in the fishing-line winding direction with the hand oppositeto the hand operating the handle assembly 2.

(B) In the handle assembly 2, the second openings 14 k are formed asspaces between the attachment portion 14 a and both of the protrudingportions 14 c and the coupling portions 14 d. In this case, the handlearm 2 a is formed in a minimal shape while weight increase thereof isinhibited. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably rotate the handleshaft 30 instantly in the fishing-line winding direction with the handopposite to the hand operating the handle assembly 2.

(C) The dual-bearing reel includes the drag mechanism 21 and the dragregulation member 3 for regulating the drag mechanism 21 in thesurrounding of the handle shaft 30. Further in the handle assembly 2,the protruding portions 14 c can be disposed closer to the reel unit 1than the drag regulation member 3 is. In this case, it is possible tofurther easily operate the handle assembly 2 with the hand opposite tothe hand operating the handle assembly 2 due to the structure that theprotruding portions 14 c are disposed closer to the reel unit 1 than thedrag regulation member 3 is.

(D) In the handle assembly 2, the attachment portion 14 a can beattached to the handle shaft 30 while being disposed closer to the reelunit 1 than the drag regulation member 3 is. In this case, the handlearm 2 a is entirely disposed closer to the reel unit 1 than the dragregulation member 3 is. Therefore, the handle arm 2 a can be simplyformed. Further, distance is reduced between the handle arm 2 a and thereel unit 1. This makes it easier to rotate the handle arm 2 a.

(E) In the handle assembly 202, the attachment portion 214 a can beattached to the handle shaft 230 while being disposed away from the reelunit 201 than the drag regulation member 203 is. In this case, even whenarrangement of the drag regulation member 203 and the handle assembly202 are the same as those of a normal dual-bearing reel, it is possibleto reliably rotate the handle shall 230 instantly in the fishing-linewinding direction with the hand opposite to the hand operating thehandle assembly 202.

(F) In the handle assembly 2, the protruding portions 14 c can protruderadially outwards from the fishing-rod attachment side of the reel unit1. In this case, it is possible to easily rotate the handle shaft 30 inthe fishing-line winding direction only by extending a finger of thehand opposite to the hand operating the handle assembly 2 due to thestructure that the protruding portions 14 c protrude radially outwardsfrom the fishing-rod attachment side of the reel unit 1.

(G) In the handle assembly 2, the number of the arm portions 14 b istwo, and the arm portions 14 b extend radially outwards from theattachment portion 14 a in opposite directions. In this case, the numberof portions operable with the hand opposite to the hand operating thehandle assembly 2 is further increased due to the two arm portions 14 bherein provided. Therefore, it is possible to further reliably rotatethe handle shaft 30 instantly in the fishing-line winding direction.

(H) In the handle assembly 2, the protruding portions 14 c are coupledby the coupling portions 14 d and are thereby formed in a saw-toothshape. In this case, it is possible to extend the radial operatinglength of the protruding portions 14 c to be used in winding the fishingline. Therefore, a rotational operation can be further easily executedin the fishing-line winding direction with the hand opposite to the handoperating the handle assembly 2. Further, no radial step is formedbetween each portion 14 n (i.e., gentle slope in the saw teeth) and eachprotruding portion 14 c and between each portion 14 b and each couplingportion 14 d. Therefore, it becomes easy to execute an action of puttinga finger from one protruding portion 14 c to another protruding portion14 c in operating the handle assembly 2.

(I) In the handle assembly 102, the coupling portions 114 d are eitherlinear portions or curved portions disposed along the sides of apolygon. In this case, the coupling portions 114 d can be simply formed.It is thereby possible to provide a handle assembly compatibly used fora right handled dual-bearing reel and a left handled dual-bearing reel.

(J) In the handle assembly 202, the coupling portions 214 d are disposedin a circular-arc shape while the center part of each coupling portion214 d is disposed closer to the attachment portion 214 a. In this case,the protruding portions 214 c are coupled by the recessed circular-arcshaped coupling portions 214 d. Therefore, it is possible to provide ahandle assembly compatibly used for a right handled dual-bearing reeland a left handled dual-bearing reel.

(K) The dual-bearing reel includes the handle assembly 2 described inone of the aforementioned features (A) to (J). In this case, thedual-bearing reel can achieve advantageous effects similar to thoseachieved by one of the aforementioned features (A) to (J).

Other Exemplary Embodiment

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been describedabove. However, the present invention is not limited to theaforementioned exemplary embodiment, and a variety of changes can beherein made without departing from the scope of the present invention.Especially, a plurality of embodiments and modifications, described inthe present specification, can be arbitrarily combined on an as-neededbasis.

(a) In the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, a manual dual-bearingreel has been exemplified. However, the present invention can be appliedto an electric dual-bearing reel. Further, the present invention can beapplied to a dual-bearing reel with a handle configured to be rotated inthe fishing-line releasing direction. Furthermore, the right handleddual-bearing reel has been exemplified. However, the present inventioncan be also applied to a left handled dual-bearing reel.

(b) In the aforementioned three exemplary embodiments, the protrudingportions can protrude radially outwards from the fishing-rod attachmentside of the reel unit. However, the protruding portions can beconfigured not to protrude.

(c) In the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, the double-handle typehandle assembly, including the handle aim with two arm portions, hasbeen exemplified for explaining the present invention. However, thepresent invention can be also applied to a single-handle type handleassembly with a single arm portion.

(d) In the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, the dual-bearing reelincluding star-drag type drag mechanism has been exemplified forexplaining the present invention. However, the present invention can bealso applied to a dual-bearing reel including a lever-drag type dragmechanism.

(e) In the aforementioned three exemplary embodiments, spaces areproduced by forming openings between the attachment portion and both ofthe protruding portions and the coupling portions in order to reduce theweight of the handle assembly. However, it is not required to producesuch spaces.

Advantageous Effects of the Invention

Overall, according to the present invention, the protruding portions,coupled by the coupling portions, are disposed in the surrounding of theattachment portion. Simultaneously, the protruding portions protruderadially outwards while being circumferentially aligned at predeterminedintervals. Therefore, the handle assembly can be operated across afishing rod even with a hand opposite to the hand operating the handleassembly. As a result, the handle shaft can be reliably rotated in thefishing-line winding direction with the hand opposite to the handoperating the handle assembly.

General Interpretation of Terms

In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term“comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to beopen ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features,elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not excludethe presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups,integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words havingsimilar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and theirderivatives. Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member” or“element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of asingle part or a plurality of parts. Finally, terms of degree such as“substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean areasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the endresult is not significantly changed. For example, these terms can beconstrued as including a deviation of at least ±5% of the modified termif this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate thepresent invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthis disclosure that various changes and modifications can be madeherein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptions of theembodiments according to the present invention are provided forillustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dual-bearing reel attachable to a fishing rod,comprising: a reel unit; a handle shaft rotatably supported by the reelunit; and a handle assembly being mounted onto the handle shaft, thehandle assembly including a handle arm including an attachment portiondetachably attached onto the handle shaft in a unitarily rotatablestate, a first arm portion extending radially outwards from theattachment portion so as to define a plane, first and second protrudingportions disposed around of the attachment portion, the first and secondprotruding portions protruding radially outwards so as to be in theplane defined by the first arm portion, the first and second protrudingportions circumferentially aligned with each other at predeterminedintervals, and a coupling portion coupling the protruding portions, anda handle knob rotatably attached to a tip of the first arm portion. 2.The dual-bearing reel according to claim 1, wherein a space is arrangedbetween the attachment portion and the first protruding portion, betweenthe attachment portion and the second protruding portion, and betweenthe attachment portion and the coupling portion.
 3. The dual-bearingreel according to claim 1, further comprising a drag mechanism; and adrag regulation member configured adjacent to the handle shaft toregulate the drag mechanism, wherein the first and second protrudingportions are disposed closer to the reel unit than the drag regulationmember is.
 4. The dual-bearing reel according to claim 3, wherein theattachment portion is disposed closer to the reel unit than the dragregulation member is.
 5. The dual-bearing reel according to claim 3,wherein the attachment portion is disposed further away from the reelunit than the drag regulation member is.
 6. The dual-bearing reelaccording to claim 1, wherein the first and second protruding portionsprotrude radially outwards from a fishing rod attachment side of thereel unit.
 7. The dual-bearing reel according to claim 1, wherein thehandle arm include a second arm portion extending radially outwards fromthe attachment portion, and the first and second arm portions extendradially outwards from the attachment portion in opposite directions. 8.The dual-bearing reel according to claim 1, wherein the first and secondcoupling portions form a part of a polygon.
 9. The dual-bearing reelaccording to claim 1, wherein the first coupling portion has acircular-arc shape and a center part thereof is disposed adjacent to theattachment portion.
 10. A dual-bearing reel attachable to a fishing rod,comprising: a reel unit; a handle shaft rotatably supported by the reelunit; and a handle assembly being mounted onto the handle shaft, thehandle assembly including a handle arm including an attachment portiondetachably attached onto the handle shaft in a unitarily rotatablestate, a first arm portion extending radially outwards from theattachment portion, first and second protruding portions disposed aroundof the attachment portion, the first and second protruding portionsprotruding radially outwards, the first and second protruding portionscircumferentially aligned with each other at predetermined intervals,and being coupled in a saw-tooth shape by the coupling portions, acoupling portion coupling the protruding portions, and a handle knobrotatably attached to a tip of the first arm portion.
 11. A handleassembly for a dual-bearing reel, the handle assembly mountable onto ahandle shaft rotatably supported by a reel unit of the dual-bearing reelattachable to a fishing rod, the handle assembly comprising: a handlearm including an attachment portion detachably attached onto the handleshaft in a unitarily rotatable state, an arm portion extending radiallyoutwards from the attachment portion so as to define a plane, first andsecond protruding portions disposed around of the attachment portion,the first and second protruding portions protruding radially outwards soas to be in the plane defined by the arm portion, the first and secondprotruding portions circumferentially aligned with each other atpredetermined intervals, and a coupling portion coupling the protrudingportions; and a handle knob rotatably attached to a tip of the armportion.